The Waterloo Regional Police Service is taking a new approach to stem the rash of thefts from vehicles that tend to peak as the Christmas shopping season arrives.

WRPS has produced a video to complement it’s annual Lock It or Lose It education program that reminds residents to lock their vehicles and hide their belongings.

“Every year we continue to see increases in thefts from vehicles and we are hopeful that by providing our message in an entertaining way, we will gain our community’s attention and see fewer victims in these next few weeks and beyond.” said Chief Matt Torigian.

So far in 2012, approximately 2,763 thefts from vehicles have been reported to Waterloo Regional Police.

The statistic hit an all-time high this year with more than 400 incidents occurring in Waterloo Region throughout the month of July alone.

Chief Torigian continued, “We have reached a point where we need to address this on a larger scale and the first step is crime prevention.”

The holiday shopping season provides greater opportunity for thefts of valuables from vehicles and can be especially upsetting to victims. Every theft from a vehicle also draws from police resources.

To support police efficiency, the Service recently launched Online Reporting which includes thefts from vehicles, damage/mischief to vehicle, damage/mischief to property, lost property, and theft (total value for each must be under $5000).